NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, 18
January 2019 (Friday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Catherine
Clements
Info Line #: 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
**Carmella Melanson demonstrates some
evidence of how efficient raptors are at using every bit of their prey. One of
Carmella’s photos shows an immature SHARP-SHINNED HAWK [Épervier brun] working
on its STARLING [Étourneau] prey. The photo of the scene after shows everything
used except feathers and a leg, with nothing gone to waste. The vertical breast
striping and yellow eye of the Sharp-shinned Hawk indicate immaturity.
**Our new webmaster,
Brian Stone, has done a yeoman’s job of
getting the Nature Moncton website updated. Everyone is encouraged to go to www.naturemoncton.com now and review
events coming up, like the bird feeder tour scheduled on Saturday, January
26th, a GULL [Goéland] workshop and outing on February 16th, and meeting presentations
for February, March, and May. More are about to be added soon, so it is now
time to get in the habit of checking it often, which can be done every day you
wish by checking on the highlighted website at the start of the Nature Moncton mail-out. Also, a reminder that the Nature
Moncton daily BlogSpot can be accessed
directly from the website by clicking on INFO LINE / BLOG. The website will
continue to be improved to make it as user-friendly as possible.
**A note that the MASON BEE [Abeille maçonne]
houses and accompanying emerger units
have all gone to homes, to provide for more pollinating bees in 20 yards next
spring. Any group interested in participating in this project can get the
promotion by a purchase of 24 nest units at one time. Twelve emerger-cleaner units were ordered at the same
time, all at half retail price. The emerger units can be shared among people,
as the nest boxes are suggested to be cleaned every 2 to 3 years.
*This week’s Sky at a Glance is added to
this edition courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason. Curt describes the LUNAR ECLIPSE [Éclipse lunaire] to happen on
Sunday night, if Mother Nature does not stop us from appreciating it, with the
potential storm forecast.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2019 January 19 – January 26
At the mercy of the weather, night-owl stargazers could be treated to a lunar eclipse beginning late Sunday evening. This is our first lunar eclipse since the Harvest Moon eclipse in September 2015, and we won’t get another until a deep partial eclipse in November 2021 and a total one in May 2022.
Although the Moon starts slipping into Earth’s dark shadow at 11:34 pm, look for subtle gray shading on the lunar surface beginning a half hour sooner. This is the penumbra, a lesser shadow created when Earth partly covers the Sun as seen from the Moon. From 11:34 pm to 12:41am the dark umbra will creep across the lunar surface toward totality. Note that the umbra appears on the left side, which indicates the Moon is moving eastward in its orbit rather than the westward motion we see as our planet rotates. Also, note the curvature of the shadow. Aristotle noticed this in the fourth century BC and correctly assumed it was because the Earth is spherical. Watch for more stars to appear as totality approaches and the sky darkens. The Beehive star cluster, also called the Praesepe and M44, will be just to the east of the Moon.
Totality lasts for 62 minutes, ending at 1:43 am. The Moon could take on a red or orange hue during totality, caused by our atmosphere acting like a lens and bending the red part of the sunlight moonward. Blue light is scattered more, right across our sky, which is why we see that colour on a clear day. You might also note that the top of the Moon is brighter than the bottom. The Moon passes above the centre of Earth’s shadow during this eclipse, so the top portion is farther from the deepest and darkest part of the umbra. From 1:43 you get to watch the partial phase play out in reverse over 67 minutes, followed by the fading of the penumbra.
Weather permitting, telescopes will be set up at Saints Rest Beach in Saint John and a live feed of the eclipse through a telescope will be broadcast via the Facebook page astrobythebay. The Physics and Astronomy Department at the Université de Moncton plans to host a talk and eclipse observing. Attendance is limited but the tickets are free.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:54 am and sunset will occur at 5:05 pm, giving 9 hours, 11 minutes of daylight (7:57 am and 5:12 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:48 am and set at 5:15 pm, giving 9 hours, 27 minutes of daylight (7:51 am and 5:22 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is full and somewhat brick-coloured very early on Monday morning, the traditional Wolf Moon and the Mi’gmaw Tom Cod Moon. The two brightest planets make a striking pair in the morning sky; with Venus being a binocular width above Jupiter on Saturday and about the same distance to the left of Jupiter by next Saturday. Saturn might be spotted in twilight a hand span to their lower left. Mars resembles a first magnitude red star in the southwest during the evening.
RASC NB, the provincial astronomy club, meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on January 19 at 1 pm. All are welcome.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
At the mercy of the weather, night-owl stargazers could be treated to a lunar eclipse beginning late Sunday evening. This is our first lunar eclipse since the Harvest Moon eclipse in September 2015, and we won’t get another until a deep partial eclipse in November 2021 and a total one in May 2022.
Although the Moon starts slipping into Earth’s dark shadow at 11:34 pm, look for subtle gray shading on the lunar surface beginning a half hour sooner. This is the penumbra, a lesser shadow created when Earth partly covers the Sun as seen from the Moon. From 11:34 pm to 12:41am the dark umbra will creep across the lunar surface toward totality. Note that the umbra appears on the left side, which indicates the Moon is moving eastward in its orbit rather than the westward motion we see as our planet rotates. Also, note the curvature of the shadow. Aristotle noticed this in the fourth century BC and correctly assumed it was because the Earth is spherical. Watch for more stars to appear as totality approaches and the sky darkens. The Beehive star cluster, also called the Praesepe and M44, will be just to the east of the Moon.
Totality lasts for 62 minutes, ending at 1:43 am. The Moon could take on a red or orange hue during totality, caused by our atmosphere acting like a lens and bending the red part of the sunlight moonward. Blue light is scattered more, right across our sky, which is why we see that colour on a clear day. You might also note that the top of the Moon is brighter than the bottom. The Moon passes above the centre of Earth’s shadow during this eclipse, so the top portion is farther from the deepest and darkest part of the umbra. From 1:43 you get to watch the partial phase play out in reverse over 67 minutes, followed by the fading of the penumbra.
Weather permitting, telescopes will be set up at Saints Rest Beach in Saint John and a live feed of the eclipse through a telescope will be broadcast via the Facebook page astrobythebay. The Physics and Astronomy Department at the Université de Moncton plans to host a talk and eclipse observing. Attendance is limited but the tickets are free.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:54 am and sunset will occur at 5:05 pm, giving 9 hours, 11 minutes of daylight (7:57 am and 5:12 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:48 am and set at 5:15 pm, giving 9 hours, 27 minutes of daylight (7:51 am and 5:22 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is full and somewhat brick-coloured very early on Monday morning, the traditional Wolf Moon and the Mi’gmaw Tom Cod Moon. The two brightest planets make a striking pair in the morning sky; with Venus being a binocular width above Jupiter on Saturday and about the same distance to the left of Jupiter by next Saturday. Saturn might be spotted in twilight a hand span to their lower left. Mars resembles a first magnitude red star in the southwest during the evening.
RASC NB, the provincial astronomy club, meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on January 19 at 1 pm. All are welcome.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
Eclipse by Beeive
EUROPEAN STARLING REMAINS Jan 15 2019 CARMELLA MELANSON
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK Jan 16 2019 CARMELLA MELANSON
